By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: Due to the scanty rainfall during the current season, the number of migratory Siberian ducks has been recorded in abysmally low number and ducking hunting season is yet to be kicked off across the Chitral valley.
Asmat Ali, an amateur duck hunter of Denin village for the last fifty years, said that it is the inclement weather which forced the ducks to descend to the mountainous valley of Chitral in the course of flight to the plains to the country from Siberia.
The hunters always prayed for rainfall and cloudy weather which caused the influx of ducks in the valley where they descended in natural ponds and river while artificial ponds are raised during the season to lure the birds.
An official of wildlife department substantiating the hunter’s views said that Chitral served as the flyway of more than 1.2 million migratory birds every year and the flocks included many globally important species.
He said that the ducks start their migration from Siberia in the month of February in large flocks mostly in night time in high altitude and tend to follow the path above the river.
A number of environment friendly people have expressed their concern over the ruthless hunting of the migratory ducks and have apprehended their extinction because the Indus plains served as the breeding ground of most of the species.
Shahriyar Baig, an environmental activist said that several waterfowl species of global fame are also endangered which migrate from Siberia to Chitral in the early days of spring season and are ruthlessly hunted in Chitral for which the local hunters raise artificial ponds along the river.
He said that during the season a hunter leaves behind and forgets all other activities of life as if there was nothing left for him to do and ruthless massacre the birds
He said that the department of wildlife seems to be least bothered to check the ruthless hunting of ducks as hardly any hunter follows the rules as provided in the wildlife act.
